Selectwoman Lil Maselli Apologies For Profanity At Meeting: “It Does Not Define Who I Am Or The Type Of Person I Am”

WILMINGTON, MA — At the start of the October 23, 2023 Select Board meeting, Selectwoman Lil Maselli offered a public apology following her actions at the October 10, 2023 meeting, where she told resident Kevin MacDonald to “go f–k ” himself. The moment went viral on social media, and was amplified by local, national and international media.

“I would like to address my reaction to public comments made at the last open meeting of the Select Board,” began Maselli. “I regret the language I used in reaction to the disturbing comments made to me personally and for that language, I apologize.”

“I am not excusing my language or reaction, however, it was not premeditated, nor does it define who I am or the type of person I am,” she continued. “We are all human, and I hope you can recognize the humanity in my reaction.”

“I take my responsibilities to the Town of Wilmington and its residents very seriously, and I will continue to undertake those responsibilities to the best of my ability,” Maselli concluded. “Again, I apologize for my language, and I look forward to continue to address the important business of the town.”

By The Way, MacDonald’s Underlying Allegation Against Town Manager Hull Has Been Debunked 

The claims that MacDonald made at the October 11, 2023 Select Board meeting, during the viral moment, have since been debunked by Town Manager Hull at the October 23, 2023 Select Board meeting.

“Let me state, in no uncertain terms and unequivocally, that as Town Manager, I never gave a directive to department heads or employees that they must obtain a COVID-19 vaccination, or they would be terminated,” Hull said. “Issuing such a directive would certainly have legal and collective bargaining consequences. Certainly, not one of the six unions that represent Town employees would have taken such a directive without vehement opposition. No one will find any press accounts of those six unions filing grievances, unfair labor practice complaints or otherwise expressing vocal opposition to such a directive because no such directive was issued.”

Hull provided the Select Board with corroborating memos from Fire Chief Bill Cavanaugh and Police Chief Joe Desmond, reaffirming the facts as he presented them.

“At no time did anyone here at the Fire Department mandate any employee to get vaccinated. No employee’s job was ever threatened due to their vaccination status,” wrote Chief Cavanaugh, adding, “Employees who were here during the onset of COVID and chose not to be vaccinated are still currently employed in their same role with no breaks in service.”

MacDonald has yet to publicly apologize to Hull for making patently false claims against him at the October 11 Select Board Meeting. Millions of people around the world watched the viral moment and were left with a misimpression of Hull’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis.

Public Comments Policy Considered

Later during the October 23, 2023 meeting, the Select Board declined to establish a formal policy surrounding the “Public Comments” portion of their meetings, voting 5-0 to take no action on a policy recommended by then Town Manager Jeff Hull.

“I think it’s appropriate to put some guardrails on the public comments process,” Hull told the Board, suggesting a 30-minute overall time limit on public comments and a 3-minute time limit per speaker.

The policy proposal, which can be read here, would have also clarified the board’s role during the Public Comments section.

“[The Public Comments section] is a limited forum to comment on topics within the Board’s jurisdiction and not otherwise listed on the Board’s agenda. The Board will not respond to comments made during ‘Public Comments’ periods,” read the proposal. “Depending on the nature of the comment, the Chair may have the matter referred to the relevant department following the meeting.”

Selectman Greg Bendel made it clear that he was opposed to any measure that would limit public comment.

“I think we should stick with what we’ve done for the last several decades, including all my time here, and have the Public Comments section of the meeting be at the discretion of the Chair, and the Chair can decide when it can conclude,” Bendel said. “I appreciate [Mr. Hull] taking the time to put this policy together, but I want to voice my opposition to anything that’s going to limit public participation.”

While the policy, which called for time limits, was not voted upon favorably, Select Chair Gary DePalma announced, under his discretion as Chair, Public Comments would — in fact — now have a 30-minute time limit and a 3-minute time limit for each speaker, with “no second chances.”

When that evening’s Public Comments section began, however, DePalma struggled to keep the first speaker — former Selectman Mike McCoy — to limit his comments to just three minutes. DePalma then chose to no longer enforce the 3-minute rule.

When resident Kevin MacDonald rose to speak, he asked for clarification about the new 3-minute rule. DePalma responded that the time limit was at his discretion, and he was “trying to hold as close as I can” to the 3-minute rule. MacDonald then proceeded to speak for 8 minutes.

Former Selectman Mike McCoy then yelled from the audience, asking why DePalma attempted to limit his comments to 3 minutes, during which time Town Manager Hull displayed a countdown clock on an iPad, while the next two speakers, including MacDonald, were not limited.

DePalma noted that once McCoy’s 3 minutes were up, he allowed McCoy to continue to speak.

“I let you go on and on and on, sir,” DePalma told McCoy.

McCoy responded that he had much more he wanted to say.

Select Board Meeting Almost Goes Off The Rails Again

The 3-minute rule was not mentioned or enforced at the following Select Board Meeting on October 30, 2023, where resident Kevin MacDonald spoke for 7 minutes, during which time he accused the Select Board of breaking the law by appointing longtime Director of Veterans Services Lou Cimaglia as Temporary Town Manager. MacDonald further alleged that three board members had conflicts of interest in the Town Manager search.

MacDonald, however, offered no proof, only his personal opinion and his own interpretation of the Town Charter, where he — the Select Board would argue — conflates the qualifications of a permanent Town Manager with the qualifications of a Temporary Town Manager.

The Temporary Town Manager section of the Town Charter reads, in its entirety:

SECTION 8. Appointment of a temporary Town Manager. Any vacancy in the office of Town Manager shall be filled as soon as possible by the Select Board. Pending the appointment of the Town Manager or the filling of any vacancy, the Select Board may appoint a suitable person to perform the duties of the office.

MacDonald suggested Cimaglia wasn’t “suitable” because he did not have the qualifications listed for a permanent Town Manager.

The qualifications of a permanent Town Manager are spelled out in Section 7 of the Town Charter:

SECTION 7. Appointment of Town Manager. The Select Board elected as provided herein shall appoint, as soon as practicable, for a term of three years, a Town Manager who shall be a person especially fitted by education, training, and by previous full-time paid experience as a Town or City Manager or Assistant Manager, to perform the duties of the office. The Town Manager shall be appointed without regard to his/her political beliefs. The Town Manager need not be a resident of the town or of this commonwealth when appointed, and shall not,  during the twelve months prior to his/her appointment have held any elective office in the Town of Wilmington.

MacDonald took a confrontational tone with the Select Board, actually interrupting the official vote to appoint Cimaglia as the Temporary Town Manager. Chair DePalma told MacDonald to hold his comments for the “Public Comments” portion of the meeting, but MacDonald ignored him and continued speaking, despite several attempted interruptions by DePalma.

MacDonald — who joked the Select Board doesn’t know the difference between the “town charter” and a “charter bus” — would again speak during “Public Comments.”

“Did you look at a resume for the candidate tonight who you just appointed?,” MacDonald snapped at Chair DePalma.

“I’m not answering anything else. We’ve discussed this and gone over and over and over it,” responded DePalma.

“Is that too difficult of a question for you?,” shot back MacDonald. 

“I’m done answering questions, sir. Thank you,” responded DePalma.

“Of course you are, because you probably didn’t look at a resume, you probably never read the town charter, and you probably have nothing to offer for suitability, correct?,” said MacDonald.

“I’m not answering anything else,” repeated DePalma.

“Of course not. There is a reason why you’re not answering it,” said MacDonald.

“It’s because we’re through with it,” DePalma retorted.

“You’re through with it because you have no substance to offer,” MacDonald remarked.